The File Drawer Problem: Null Results Are Significant Too
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The inaugural Ochota Human Brain and Behavior meeting (OHubb) meeting will take place on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, at 15:00 at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, ul. S. Banacha 2D, Warsaw in room 5.01 on the 5th floor. Prof. Katarzyna Jednoróg will deliver the opening lecture, entitled “The File Drawer Problem: Null Results Are Significant Too.”
Abstract:
Scientific progress depends not only on discoveries but also on knowing when attractive hypotheses fail. This talk examines the “file drawer problem” and the consequences of selective publication of positive findings. I will show how small samples, inadequate control conditions, and flexible analytical choices can produce influential claims that later prove difficult to replicate. I will discuss our work on action video game training in dyslexia and on the neural noise hypothesis, illustrating how null results can be made scientifically informative. Finally, I will highlight why publishing null results is essential for cumulative and reproducible science.
Speaker’s Bio
Katarzyna Jednoróg is a neuroscientist and head of the Laboratory of Language Neurobiology at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Her research examines how language and reading skills emerge in childhood, how their neural networks develop, and how and why these trajectories differ in neurodevelopmental disorders. She also studies experience-dependent plasticity across sensory and linguistic contexts, including in blind and deaf individuals. Her work combines behavioral assessment with multimodal neuroimaging, including functional and structural MRI, diffusion and quantitative MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and EEG, with an emphasis on rigorous, reproducible developmental cognitive neuroscience.
About OHubb:
OHubb is a joint seminar series organised by the Nencki Institute PAS and the Faculties of Psychology and Physics at the University of Warsaw, bringing together perspectives from experimental biology, psychology and physics. Established under the cooperation agreement, the series will provide a forum for sharing knowledge, discussing research methods and findings, and building collaborations across disciplines.
The signatories of the agreement have been invited to the inaugural meeting: Prof. Agnieszka Dobrzyń, Director of the Nencki Institute PAS; Prof. Kamil Imbir, Dean of the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Warsaw; and Prof. Wojciech Satuła, Dean of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw.
Researchers, doctoral candidates, students and everyone interested in interdisciplinary scientific discussion are warmly welcome!
📅 13 October 2026, at 15:00
📍 Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, room 5.01
💸 Free entry
Abstract:
Scientific progress depends not only on discoveries but also on knowing when attractive hypotheses fail. This talk examines the “file drawer problem” and the consequences of selective publication of positive findings. I will show how small samples, inadequate control conditions, and flexible analytical choices can produce influential claims that later prove difficult to replicate. I will discuss our work on action video game training in dyslexia and on the neural noise hypothesis, illustrating how null results can be made scientifically informative. Finally, I will highlight why publishing null results is essential for cumulative and reproducible science.
Speaker’s Bio
Katarzyna Jednoróg is a neuroscientist and head of the Laboratory of Language Neurobiology at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences. Her research examines how language and reading skills emerge in childhood, how their neural networks develop, and how and why these trajectories differ in neurodevelopmental disorders. She also studies experience-dependent plasticity across sensory and linguistic contexts, including in blind and deaf individuals. Her work combines behavioral assessment with multimodal neuroimaging, including functional and structural MRI, diffusion and quantitative MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and EEG, with an emphasis on rigorous, reproducible developmental cognitive neuroscience.
About OHubb:
OHubb is a joint seminar series organised by the Nencki Institute PAS and the Faculties of Psychology and Physics at the University of Warsaw, bringing together perspectives from experimental biology, psychology and physics. Established under the cooperation agreement, the series will provide a forum for sharing knowledge, discussing research methods and findings, and building collaborations across disciplines.
The signatories of the agreement have been invited to the inaugural meeting: Prof. Agnieszka Dobrzyń, Director of the Nencki Institute PAS; Prof. Kamil Imbir, Dean of the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Warsaw; and Prof. Wojciech Satuła, Dean of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw.
Researchers, doctoral candidates, students and everyone interested in interdisciplinary scientific discussion are warmly welcome!
📅 13 October 2026, at 15:00
📍 Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, room 5.01
💸 Free entry
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Where is it happening?
ul. S. Banacha 2D , 02-097 Warsaw, Poland, ulica Stefana Banacha 2, 02-097 Warszawa, Polska, Warsaw, Poland
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherWydział Psychologii UW
